Payments giant Mastercard (NYSE:MA) just announced its results for 2022’s second quarter. The implications could extend beyond the company’s finances, though. While the shareholders are undoubtedly glad MA stock moved into the green this morning, Mastercard’s data could actually indicate the U.S. economy is on solid footing.

Suffice it to say Mastercard is facing a lot of challenges in 2022. Of course, high inflation is a problem as it crimps spending activity. On top of that, some U.S. senators are preparing a bill targeting certain credit card fees. If the bill becomes a law, it could negatively impact Mastercard’s bottom line.

For the time being, though, it appears Mastercard’s bottom line is intact. For Q2 2022, it reported diluted earnings per share, or EPS, of $2.34. This showed improvement over the prior-year quarter’s $2.08 per share.

Moreover, Mastercard reported $5.5 billion in second-quarter 2022 revenue, thereby demonstrating progress compared to the year-earlier quarter’s $4.5 billion. This result also beat Wall Street’s forecast of $5.3 billion.

What This Means for MA Stock and the Economy

The real highlight of the earnings report, though, was Mastercard’s 58% growth in cross-border transaction volume. Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach emphasized this statistic, and who could blame him? It suggests people are traveling and spending, and that despite high inflation, the economy might be stronger than it appears.

Let’s not jump to conclusions here. Mastercard’s impressive results don’t necessarily mean the U.S. isn’t in a recession. At the very least, though, they’re indicative of Mastercard’s resilience despite the challenging market conditions.

Thus, it shouldn’t be too surprising that MA stock pulled higher in early trading today. It was up 1% or less, but any gains are undoubtedly welcome among Mastercard’s investors nowadays.

The stock is still down since the beginning of the year, after all. Plus, Mastercard might have to deal with the aforementioned bill in Congress. Really, it’s too early to know how Mastercard and the economy in general will fare in 2022’s second half. At least today, however, investors are seeing some positive signs.

On the date of publication, David Moadel did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.